War of Words Escalates Between Klay Thompson, Dillon Brooks

The trash talk continued after the game when the two spoke to reporters.

The beef between Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks and the Warriors continued Saturday night, and this time Klay Thompson responded to Brooks’s trash talking with just his fingers. A lot has been said by Brooks in the media and on the court, and it appears Thompson wanted to remind the Grizzlies that they’re behind in the category that matters most. 

While his team was getting blown out in the fourth quarter, Thompson appeared to be counting to four on the bench while looking at the Memphis bench—a clear reference to Golden State’s four NBA titles since 2015. It’s unclear if he was making the gesture toward anyone in particular, but Brooks had been yelling, “You suck,” at Warriors players from the bench, per Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

The Grizzlies went on to win, 133–119, and after the win at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Brooks and Thompson addressed the ongoing animosity between the teams. 

Klay Thompson counting his rings to the Grizzlies 😭 https://t.co/yByDMm2giY

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 19, 2023

“He’s got four rings. That’s all he was saying. It’s motivation to us. We want a ring as well,” Brooks said. “It’s friendly trash talk, but you know, I just hold a lot of real estate over there in San Francisco.”

"He's got 4 rings. That's all he was saying. It's motivation to us. We want a ring as well… It's friendly trash talk, but I just hold a lot of real estate over there in San Francisco."

Dillon Brooks on his back and forth with Klay Thompsonpic.twitter.com/ToE0Plo4j9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 19, 2023

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Brooks has gotten into public war of words with both Thompson and Warriors forward Draymond Green in recent months, leading to his statement that he’s essentially in their heads. After the loss, Thompson took the trash talk a step further and gave his take on Brooks’s career as a whole. 

“I don’t care about Dillon Brooks,” Thompson told The Commercial Appeal. “When he retires, I don’t think anyone will ever talk about Dillon Brooks ever again. I promise you. It’s sweet right now, but wait 10 years.”